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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461727">Don't Shoot!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Death_Rattle/pseuds/Death_Rattle'>Death_Rattle</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Claire_Fey/pseuds/Princess_Claire_Fey'>Princess_Claire_Fey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempted Sexual Assault, Drinking, Gen, Guns, Misogyny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:46:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22461727</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Death_Rattle/pseuds/Death_Rattle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Claire_Fey/pseuds/Princess_Claire_Fey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zhao had almost resigned to the fact that his night would be a bust, until a stunning young woman walked through the door giving him hope for a warm bed and some... entertainment. Instead, he receives a much needed lesson in proper etiquette. That, and a good scare.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Don't Shoot!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn't a very interesting night, that was for sure. Zhao sighed languidly, and stared down at his half-empty beer bottle, then back up at the television. Even though they were trailing (and had been the entire game), he still had hope that the Eagles could win.</p><p><em>How many fucking commercials are they going to play before they get back to the game?</em> he thought, irritated. He swore each time they cut to a commercial, the break was longer than the last. Another sigh. He peered over his shoulder, only to see the same faces as the last time he'd looked.</p><p>When he swore to himself he was going to die of boredom, the door swung open and the first woman he'd seen all night that was worth a second glance walked in... and once she stepped into the light, it was evident she was worth more than a second glance. For a moment, Zhao couldn't take his eyes off her. His heart began to race as she approached the bar. Quickly, he averted his gaze back to his beer bottle.</p><p>Unlike Zhao, who was alert and looking for his proverbial next meal, Azula was tired. Mentally speaking anyway. A certain annoying man wouldn't let her speak during a business meeting, always talking over her with his vastly more important voice. She wasn't afraid to let him rule the room for the day if it meant she got to screw him in the contract terms, but that didn't mean she wasn't exhausted from the whole affair.</p><p>"Gin &amp; Tonic" Azula said gruffly, sitting down at the bar without even so much as registering that there was a human being two seats down. She instead allowed her brain to relax with something that didn't require it to be fully turned on, directing her attention towards the monitor. Dallas was beating Philadelphia by 7 points, not a terrible lead partway into the third quarter.</p><p>She barely acknowledged the barman as her drink arrived, instead letting the cool liquid run down her throat and do its magic.</p><p>Once again, Zhao turned his attention toward the beautiful woman who was now seated just a few feet away from him (not before taking a large swig of his beer). For what seemed an eternity, he stared in silence. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, a tightening his chest.</p><p><em>Don't just stare, you idiot, say something!</em> his mind scolded.</p><p>And finally, he did.</p><p>"Hi. How are you tonight?"</p><p>Azula distinctly heard a noise coming from her right. It took her brain a few seconds to catch up and stop paying attention to the game to realize the noise was speech and it was coming from a <em>person</em> who was addressing <em>her</em>.</p><p>"Hmm?" she said, not having heard what he said, only that he said it - only briefly turning to look the man over, noticing his thirsty look even in her tired and slightly buzzed state.</p><p>Zhao cleared his throat. "I said <em>how are you tonight?</em>" His gaze flickered briefly toward her chest, then back up to her face. "Can I buy you another drink?" he asked, not giving her time to answer the first question.</p><p>Azula listened to his drunken drawl, only barely, as it was only barely worth listening to. Just another man hoping to find a warm bed and a wet hole, mistaking her presence at his watering hole as consent to listen to his pathetic pickup lines and receive his unwanted drinks.</p><p>"Not interested." she said, dully, simply, wishing she could turn her attention back to the game only to see it had broken for commercial.</p><p>It was as though Zhao had not even registered her refusal. Instead, he moved closer, occupying the seat next to her. He knew women played <em>hard to get</em> sometimes, surely that's what this one was doing. She seemed the type, he thought.</p><p>"Come on now, a girl as pretty as you doesn't just pay for her own drinks all night," he said. "I insist."</p><p>Azula let her posture fall into a slouch, her eyes practically rolling into the back of their sockets. If she let him pay the idiot tax and accepted his, err, *kindness*, then she'd have to deal with his entitled attempts at conversation until he found another girl. On the other hand confronting him now would surely lead him to pouting and being frustrated, and Azula didn't much want to deal with that either. She just wanted to enjoy her drinks and watch what was left of the game in peace.</p><p>So she tried the honest approach.</p><p>"I'm tired." she said simply. "Can't you play this game with some other girl?"</p><p>Zhao smirked. "I'm afraid I can't," he reached for his beer and took a quick sip. "Just look around you. Why, you'd have to pay <em>me</em> to have a drink with one of these other girls," he laughed.</p><p>Surely he could convince <em>someone</em> here to have a drink with him, come home with him... maybe more. But he didn't want to. He knew what he wanted and she was right here in front of him.</p><p>"One drink, just one, that's all I'm asking."</p><p>After listening to that... interesting speech, Azula <em>wanted</em> another drink.</p><p>Or five. Just not around <em>him</em>. "And after that, you fuck off?" she asked, grasping for any way to get rid of this guy without running out of the bar and finding somewhere else to spend her time.</p><p>"If that's what you want..." he agreed, not at all meaning what he'd just said. If he was paying for her drinks, he was getting something out of it, that's just how it worked. Surely she wasn't <em>that</em> naïve. And if she was...</p><p><em>Oh well</em>, he thought, smirking inwardly this time.</p><p>"What's that you were drinking, gin and tonic? Would you like another?"</p><p>Azula sighed a long sigh. "Very well." she said, hoping for a quick end but knowing one wasn't likely.</p><p>Zhao snapped his fingers, grabbing the bartender's attention. "Get her another gin and tonic, put it on my tab," he barked, before emptying his (third? fourth?) beer. "Oh, and get me another Bud Light."</p><p>The bartender was quick to ready their drinks, having noted Zhao's impatience earlier in the night.</p><p>"Well, I'll leave you to it, then," Zhao said, grabbing his beer and getting up to leave the bar in favor of a table. "Wait, I'm sorry, one more thing..."</p><p>A pause.</p><p>"What's your name?"</p><p>"Azula." she said, just happy to see him go.</p><p>She accepted her drink from the barman and downed it at a standard pace, happy that the game had resumed with the Cowboys scoring a field goal for another three points, making the score 24-14. Eventually, as her brain cooled down from the exhausting interactions she'd had previously she pulled out her notebook and began working on what to say during the next meeting with Mr. Important Man - downgrading the drinks to nursing status and the game to half-attention.</p><p>When the game finally finished and she had exhausted all her inspiration for that night, she paid her tab and walked out, mentally noting that the thirsty man from earlier was still sitting at his table, not trying his luck with other women.</p><p>Zhao looked over at Azula for what must have been the fiftieth time that night. She was... she was leaving! He hurried over to the bar, dropped a twenty dollar bill down on the counter. "Just keep the change" he said to the bartender, who was busy mixing some fancy drink he couldn't wait around for him to finish with.</p><p>And with that, he practically ran out the door.</p><p>Dull amber eyes took in his surroundings. Parked cars, strange people, streetlights...</p><p>It didn't take long before he caught sight of <em>her</em>, walking down a nearby alleyway.</p><p>"Hey!" he called, chasing after her.</p><p>"What do you think you're doing, running away from me like that?" A strong hand took hold of her arm.</p><p>
  <em> <strong>Slap!</strong> </em>
</p><p>"And what do you think <em>you're</em> doing grabbing me like this!?" she asked, using her righteous indignation as a smokescreen - quickly turning around and reaching behind her waist with her free hand, flipping back the safety completely on reflex. "Have you no manners?" she yelled, more trying to prevent the man from seeing the unmistakable fear in her eyes than anything else. Zhao had almost a foot on her, and despite having a little beer belly he had enough mass in his arms to move her around like a rag doll. She had maybe a 60% chance of drawing and getting a shot off before he wrestled it out of her hands, assuming the man had half a brain to try.</p><p>Azula was terrified, frankly. But she was also trained. She steadied her breaths and looked her assailant in the eye.</p><p>Physically, Zhao was barely affected by Azula striking him. It stung for sure but she wasn't all that strong, it didn't really hurt. What it had done, however, was make him angry. "Oh, I've got plenty of manners, sweetheart," he growled. "I think it's you who doesn't have any! I paid for your drink and I didn't even get so much as a thank you."</p><p>He grabbed her again, unsuspecting.</p><p>"Well, you're going to have to give me more than a thank you now, little girl..."</p><p>Azula wasted no time, not wanting to risk being put into an even worse position in the vain hope of deescalating the situation. She drew her weapon and pulled the hammer back in one swift motion, putting the muzzle right against his chest.</p><p>"Oh I wouldn't." she said, her voice containing only a faint shakiness, trying to think of something else to say but coming up empty. She let the gun talk for her.</p><p>Now, it was Zhao's turn to be afraid. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he shouted, putting his hands up in the air. It was all he could do now that the tables had been turned on him.</p><p>"Don't shoot... please..." he begged, slowly beginning to back away.</p><p>Had she been watching dispassionately, as though this were a scene in a movie, it might have been funny. The big strong entitled man turning into a scared little puppy once he found out his unsuspecting prey was packing heat.</p><p>But instead all Azula could feel was relief, relief that the man was no longer a threat. Her adrenal glands could stop what they were doing, she'd be able to go to sleep tonight with nothing more than a few ruffles in her hair and a shaken mental state.</p><p>"Leave. And never come near me again." she said, just wanting him gone like she had earlier in the bar, not bothering to come up with any dramatic comeback or one-liner. Just wanting it to be over.</p><p>Zhao, of course, did the only reasonable thing one could do in this situation. He ran for it.</p><p>And indeed, his would-be victim never saw him again.</p>
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